Cornish Lithium, in a first for the UK, has started production of refined lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) from lithium extracted from granite in Cornwall.
In an end-to-end industrial process, the company is repurposing a former china clay quarry and, using innovative low-carbon processing technology, producing refined LHM on a single brownfield industrial site at its Trelavour demonstration plant in Cornwall, it says.
Cornwall is home to the largest lithium deposits in Europe and has enough lithium to power at least 50% of all electric vehicles expected to be produced in the UK by 2030, the company claims.
Cornish Lithium CEO, Jamie Airnes, said: “This is a watershed moment for the UK’s industrial capabilities and economic resilience. For the first time ever as a country, we have now demonstrated the ability to produce one of the raw materials on which we all increasingly rely. It is testament to the strength of our research, our innovative approach, and the dedication of the Cornish Lithium team.
“This once-in-a-generation breakthrough marks the latest stage in Cornish Lithium’s journey to secure a domestic supply of lithium for the UK automotive and battery industries, securing the UK’s future jobs, lithium supply chain and economic growth.”
The UK’s first refined lithium hydroxide samples were produced at Cornish Lithium’s state-of-the-art demonstration plant. The custom-built facility incorporates all processing stages from crushing and grinding the rock, separation of the lithium-bearing minerals and processing of these minerals to produce a refined lithium hydroxide monohydrate.
Launched only a year ago, the plant uses patented, low-carbon processing technology developed over many years of intensive research and development. In early 2025, Cornish Lithium successfully acquired full IP and associated patents from Australia-based company Lepidico. The Lepidico process has shown to be highly effective and has now been fully optimised by improvements made at the plant, it says. Cornish Lithium plans to market the technology internationally given the success that has been achieved in recent months.
Funding secured from Innovate UK through the Automotive Transformation Fund’s (ATF) Scale up Readiness Validation competition (SuRV) supported the construction of the hydrometallurgical section of the plant.
Following the success of the demonstration plant, Cornish Lithium plans to build a full-scale lithium processing and refining plant with an annual capacity of up to 10,000 t of LHM, which is expected to commence full-scale production in 2029.
Following the announcement of £35 million ($46.7 million) of funding from institutional investors, the National Wealth Fund (NWF) and TechMet, Cornish Lithium has launched a new crowdfunding campaign. Capital raised through the crowdfunding campaign will be used together with recent equity funding to advance the company’s projects to the next stage of development and accelerate the journey towards commercial production.
Jeremy Wrathall, Founder and Executive Chairman of Cornish Lithium, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to not just invest in Cornish Lithium but to support the development of a resilient and responsible critical minerals supply chain for the UK. The work we are doing is vital for the UK’s national security and economic growth and it is encouraging to see that the appetite to help us succeed I our ambitions has already been overwhelmingly positive. For us, crowdfunding is more than just raising capital. It’s about connecting with our communities and giving everybody a chance to be part of our journey to commercial production.”
